Post World War II
Coombes returned to the UK in May 1947 and wanted to join the Royal Artillery in the Regular Army. He was turned down due to his age, so he took down his Lieut. Colonel's badge of rank and instead joined the Royal Army Education Corps as a Captain on a short service commission.
In 1949, he passed the selection tests and at last became a regular soldier, being immediately promoted to Lieut. Colonel. In 1951 he was promoted to the rank of full Colonel and appointed as Chief Education Officer, Anti-Aircraft Command. His approach to education was based on his experience of how a real fighting servicemen lived and so he was welcomed everywhere. In 1954, he went to Singapore as Chief Education Officer, Far East. His province extended over Borneo, Ceylon, Hong Kong, Korea,India, Nepal, and Malaya, and with SEATO from Australia and New Zealand to the Philippines.
He was producing daily English newspapers in Korean, Malay, and Gurkhali in Malaya and in Hong Kong. He had also started British, Gurkhali, and Malay children’s schools. His contribution in the fields of education, language training and broadcasting was outstanding and he recalled this period as being a “Wonderfully satisfying job”. In recognition of this work, he was awarded the C.B.E..
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